Duke EllingtonEdward Kennedy “Duke”

Ellington was born in Washington D.C. in

1899. He is known for his piano playing, band leading and especially

for being one of America’s greatest composers. Duke

Ellington wrote over 3,000 songs and his career lasted over 50

years.

Duke grew up in a loving family. He was very

close to his mother. She always encouraged him and made sure he was

brought up the right way. From his father, Duke

learned manners, proper grammar and a stylish

way of talking. Mr. Ellington was an

experienced butler who had even worked a the White House for Teddy

Roosevelt.

Teddy Roosevelt

While he was growing up, Duke was mostly

interested in baseball and art. One day, after Duke was accidentally hit in the head with a baseball bat. Mrs. Ellington decided to

start Duke on piano lessons. She thought it

would be a safer activity. Duke however, didn’t like piano lessons at all, and his parents finally gave

up on his music training.

It wasn’t until he was a teenager that Duke

became interested in the piano. While washing dishes for his summer

job, a waiter invited him to go hear the great

ragtime pianist Harvey Brooks, just a little older than Duke. Duke loved his playing and decided to give the piano another

chance. Although he got advice from talented local players, he learned to play the piano pretty

much on his own.

Around 1917, Duke and some of his

friends formed a small band called the

Washingtonians. They played at parties,

dances and clubs all over Washington, D.C.

In 1918, Duke got married. He and his

wife and a son, Mercer in 1919.

Duke knew that in order to make it as a musician and support his family, he and his friends would have to go to New York City. New York was where all the great jazz bands were playing. While in NYC, a talented trumpet player named Bubber Miley (who knew a lot about jazz music) joined The Washingtonians. He gave the group a hot new sound and

in 1927 Duke’s band was playing in the most famous spot in all of NYC—The Cotton Club. By this time they had changed their name to

The Duke Ellington Orchestra.

By 1940 Duke Ellington had one of the most popular

bands in the United States. They made radio broadcasts, records and appearances all over the country. Unfortunately, in many cities where Duke

played, there were people who were prejudiced

against African-Americans. Sometimes Duke and his band had a

hard time getting hotel rooms or service in a

restaurant.

Duke refused to be treated badly and decided to travel with his band members in their own private train cars. The

railroad would leave Duke’s cars parked on an unused track until they were ready to move on. Now Duke and his

orchestra could eat, sleep and live comfortably when they arrived in a strange town.

Duke won many honors for his

music, including the Presidential

Medal of Freedom in 1969.

This is the highest award a private citizen

can receive in the United States.

Duke’s orchestra enjoyed immense popularity and won over twelve Grammy awards. Then in 1950, people started becoming more interested in new types of music, like rock and roll. Duke’s style of jazz seemed old fashioned.

Duke was disappointed but he never gave up. He continued working and performing and finally in 1956 something happened

to put Duke back on top.

His band was invited to play the closing music for a jazz festival in Newport,

Rhode Island. It was late at night when Duke and his orchestra came on stage. The audience was tired and people were starting to leave. Duke knew they would

have to give a spectacular performance to keep everyone’s attention.

As Duke’s orchestra began playing, people went wild. They started dancing in the

isles and standing on their chair cheering for the band members. One of his

saxophonists gave a solo that lasted six minutes. The crowd was so excited by the performance that there was nearly a riot. They loved what they were hearing and the next day the story was in all the

newspapers.

After the Newport Jazz Festival, Duke and his orchestra were popular

once again and performed all over the world. They remained popular until his death

in 1974.